Where is the outrage?

[Otter]

I am sitting here listening to tonights news. In the period of 2 minutes, I hear 3 different reports of 5 people, including a police officer, who were killed by suspected drunk drivers. The police officer was hit by a 19 year-old 'suspected' drunk driver.

Every 15 minutes, in the United States someone is seriously injured or killed by drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Often, far too often, its innocent people at the wrong place at the wrong time.

There is enormous energy around all kinds of 'world events' right now and each of those 'issues' have merits of their own. Heck here on SB, there is tons of energy directed towards the state of training within our sport. When looked at worldwide, more people die from DUI related accidents in a weekend, then an entire year of diving.

SO I ASK YOU.....WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE in the 'almost' socially acceptable practice of drinking and driving?

 

[Divedoggie]

Add the numbers, and the slaughter on our highways makes the toll that the media loves to report from Iraq everyday, pale in comparison.

If your figures are correct:
1 every 15 minutes = 4/hour = 96people/day= 2880/month= 34,560/year

Terrorists would be more effective in this country if they slammed some Jack Daniels and jumped in a car. They don't need to wrap themselves with bombs, hi-jack jets, or make IEDs.

 

[lamont]

SO I ASK YOU.....WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE in the 'almost' socially acceptable practice of drinking and driving?

dunno... it seems very socially unacceptable to me...

just about all the kids in my high school who died were due to drunk driving. i can think of one other suicide and one guy who fell off a dock drunk, the rest were DUI fatalities.

i've never needed to see any nationwide statistics to tell me that drunk driving killed...

all my friends are responsible, though, so i haven't personally needed to take any keys away from anyone... and even back in high school when i was 16, i've been the designated driver before... so what else should we do? i can't personally stop all the other morons out there...

 

[Otter]

dunno... it seems very socially unacceptable to me...

just about all the kids in my high school who died were due to drunk driving. i can think of one other suicide and one guy who fell off a dock drunk, the rest were DUI fatalities.

i've never needed to see any nationwide statistics to tell me that drunk driving killed...

all my friends are responsible, though, so i haven't personally needed to take any keys away from anyone... and even back in high school when i was 16, i've been the designated driver before... so what else should we do? i can't personally stop all the other morons out there...

Its a great question. What can we do if we PERSONALLY don't drink and drive and don't allow our friends to drink and drive?

Not that I am suggesting that these approaches are appropriate nor effective, one can't listen to, or read, the news and not see protests in the streets over immigration rights, the war in Iraq, capitol punishment. At the VERY EXTREME, we hear about bombings at medical clinics, public employees having their personal information made public by animal rights activists, and (in the old days), boats ramming other boats to save whales.

On the positive side of humanity, we see people pulling together volunteering to help others post-Katrina, post-tsunami, post 9/11.

In terms of DUI, I haven't seen much if anything lately on the news except people crying because their parents, children, friends are now dead because of a drunk driver.

I also get to see Paris Hilton whine about how 'unfair' her 45-day sentence is just because she was arrested for DUI WHILE driving on a suspended-license (for an earlier DUI I believe). Driving a car while under the influence is no different than shooting a gun down the middle of a street.

 

[Otter]

dunno... it seems very socially unacceptable to me...

just about all the kids in my high school who died were due to drunk driving. i can think of one other suicide and one guy who fell off a dock drunk, the rest were DUI fatalities.

i've never needed to see any nationwide statistics to tell me that drunk driving killed...

all my friends are responsible, though, so i haven't personally needed to take any keys away from anyone... and even back in high school when i was 16, i've been the designated driver before... so what else should we do? i can't personally stop all the other morons out there...

I wish that was more prevalent. In my son's school, last year one of the star athletes was arrested for a DUI. Despite having signed a 'ethics contract', he was neither suspended from school nor removed from the team. What does THAT teach kids?

 

[Diver Dennis]

It seems like a lot of drunk drivers are repeat offenders and a lot of them drive on suspended licenses.

 

[drbill]

Because I live on an island where golf carts dominate, I avoid driving freeways and heavy traffic areas most of the time. Of course I don't drive in a mind-altered state myself. I refuse to be a passenger in a car where the driver has had too much to drink... I will either decline the ride or ask to be the designated driver. Since this is a resort town, we do have a LOT of visitors who drink excessively (but they can't have vehicles here so they don't drive), not to mention the locals who are mind-altered and drive the golf carts!

When I was in high school athletics, we were kicked off the team if we were caught drinking period... not DUI, just drinking. Since I loved swimming, I didn't touch alcohol (except a sip of beer from my Dad) until after senior year season was over.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Driving a car while under the influence is no different than shooting a gun down the middle of a street.

Good analogy. I couldn't agree more. I lost two friends in high school in drunk driving accidents.

 

[RonDawg]

It seems like a lot of drunk drivers are repeat offenders and a lot of them drive on suspended licenses.

You got that right.

Also, I try to avoid the term "drunk" driver. Many people have the false notion that as long as you're not falling down drunk, you're OK to drive. You can be deemed unfit to drive long before you look obviously drunk.

 

[DiverBeth]

The sad thing is this really is a societal problem. Because drinking is so socially acceptable and made to look glamorous to teens people will drink and get behind the wheel of a car. I fear driving related (and other accidents) deaths will continue until we change as a society. I personally don't know how to accomplish this. Prohibition failed and would fail again.